The broader trend here is that Internet providers, which saw huge gains in the late 1990s and early 2000s by rolling out all-you-can-eat access, are inevitably going to roll back those pricing policies. Wireless -- where bandwidth is more scarce and more expensive -- is a logical place to start.

There are many ways to roll out this change, and AT&T has done a pretty good job.

AT&T started by offering a way for most existing subscribers to SAVE money. AT&T offered a new plan that was half the price of the old plan, which more than half of its subscribers could already use to save money. (In theory, only 2% of its subscribers would have to pay more than they used to. That works out well for the other 98% of us.)

It gave existing subscribers the opportunity to "grandfather" their current $30/month unlimited plans, even after they upgrade their accounts to a new iPhone this summer or extend their contract.

It provided a variety of tools to let people see how much bandwidth they have been using and are currently using, to help plan which subscription they should purchase.

Yes, there has been some backlash to AT&T's efforts, as there seems to be any time an ISP messes with its business model. There seems to be a population of whiners who think they deserve to get everything for free, or that they're permanently entitled to the same pricing models they've grown accustomed to over the years. But there's no "right" to unlimited access. And this isn't a net neutrality issue. (Though it will disrupt some businesses, like mobile TV.)

Whether AT&T's pricing model works or not will be something the market determines. But AT&T has done a surprisingly good job with this effort so far.